Presentation of Water Insecurity in US

Xinran Yang, Parth Tendulkar and Bagas Ari Wibawanto from Group 404 Found

2025-05-28

Executive Summary and Introduction

  • Executive Summary: Analysis of water insecurity data enables the production of insightful maps of water resources and infrastructure nationwide in the US. These maps show socio-economic elements like housing and indoor plumbing that affect water use and needs. We integrate ACS data to help water resource managers and policymakers identify vulnerable people and infrastructural needs.
  • Introduction : Effective water management and policymaking need to understand the intricate relationship between socio-economic factors and water supplies. Annually updated, the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) provides demographic, social, economic, and housing data. The water_insecurity_2022 and water_insecurity_2023 datasets used in this study are compiled from relevant indicators within the ACS to answer:
  1. How is indoor plumbing insecurity spatially distributed across US counties in 2022 and 2023?
  2. What are the significant county-level changes in plumbing insecurity between these years?
  3. How do these county-level rates compare to the national average for plumbing access?

Methodology and Results

  • Methodology :

    This report examines spatial and temporal variations in USA water insecurity using the 2022 and 2023 water_insecurity data sets.The report maps the spatial distribution of water resource insecurity for each year separately, focusing on differences in indoor plumbing availability between counties in the western and eastern United States Changes in plumbing insecurity were analysed by mapping changes at the county level from 2022 to 2023. Each county’s plumbing condition was compared to the national average to identify areas with higher or lower levels of insecurity, and maps were used to visualize regional differences and deviations. In addition, a comparative bar chart analysis of the top 10 counties with the greatest changes revealed different local trends.

  • Results :